All fish / Osphronemidae

Linke's Licorice Gourami

Parosphromenus linkei

Also known as linke's licorice gourami, linkei licorice gourami, licorice gourami, liquorice gourami, parosphromenus linkei, パロスフロメヌス・リンケイ, cupang coklat, 琳克氏小丽丽, 林克氏小丽丽

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A tiny peat swamp gourami with dark horizontal banding on a brownish body, and males whose unpaired fins carry iridescent blue and red edging when displaying. Specialist keepers value it as one of the more attractive licorice gouramis and enjoy watching its secretive courtship in dim, leaf-filled tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3.5 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

4 to 6

Smallest tank

30 litres

Keep as

A pair or small group in a species-only tank

Diet

Carnivore: live foods such as daphnia, cyclops, grindal worms, newly hatched brine shrimp and small frozen foods

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Central Kalimantan, Borneo (Indonesia), peat swamp blackwaters

Breeding

Males build a small bubble nest under a cave roof, such as inside a narrow tube or beneath a leaf, and guard the eggs and fry. Spawning is achievable in very soft, acidic water with quiet surroundings, but raising fry needs infusoria-sized live foods and patience.

Good to know

Needs very soft, acidic, clean water and should not be kept with lively or larger fish that outcompete it for food. Wild habitats are threatened by peat swamp clearance, so captive-bred stock is preferable, and it is easily confused with other Parosphromenus species.